MALVERN, Pa., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In a precautionary move, a supermarket chain today voluntarily issued a recall alert for fresh oysters sold in refrigerated 8-ounce containers under the name Jersey's Best Oysters and bearing the code 11 30 on the lid. The oysters were a product of Robbins Brothers Inc. of Port Norris, N.J.
Acme Markets, which operates supermarkets in five Eastern Seaboard states, said that a portion of fresh oysters provided to it by Robbins Brothers came from an area of Louisiana where oysters may have been contaminated by a virus which can cause temporary gastrointestinal problems in some people. The company emphasized, however, that it has received no reports of illness.
Acme Markets learned of the potential problem with Louisiana oysters when it received a health warning from the federal Food and Drug Administration for oysters harvested in certain areas of that state. Acme had understood that the oysters it purchased from Robbins Brothers were not from Louisiana, and Robbins Brothers did not advise Acme that its oysters were, in fact, from the area of Louisiana identified as the source of the contamination. Further investigation and a later alert by the New Jersey Department of Health showed that Robbins had supplied some of the suspect oysters to Acme.
Any consumer who may still have any of the oysters sold under the Jersey's Best Oysters label and bearing the code 11 30 on the lid should return them to
their nearest Acme supermarket for a full refund. Only oysters so labeled are included in the recall. The company said that, although it believes that most of these fresh oysters have already been consumed, some people may have frozen them for future use.
Anyone with questions can call Acme's Customer Hotline at the following toll-free telephone number: 800-241-2263.
Acme Markets, which is headquartered here, has 251 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Maryland.
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/CONTACT: Walt Rubel, 215-889-4354/